Texas Wine Industry Urges Drinkers to Drink Texan or Go Thirsty

Just received this news release. The program seems to follow the path pioneered by Australia.

I suppose you might as well do this since the totalitarian influences at the Texas ABC, UPS and FedEx have told consumers to go screw themselves when it comes to wine choice.

————————— NEWS RELEASE ————————-

For Immediate Release:
June 8, 2011

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LAUNCHES NEW GO TEXAN OR
GO THIRSTY PROGRAM
Initiative supports Texas wine industry, which creates jobs and provides an economic impact of $1.7 billion

AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Agriculture last night launched a new program called GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty, designed to promote local restaurants and retailers that carry Texas wines and support the Texas wine industry’s $1.7 billion impact on the state’s economy. The event was held at Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Oak Hill, a restaurant that prides itself on serving Texas wines and foods.

The new GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty Web page will list restaurants that serve Texas wines and will help connect local wineries with restaurants that want to offer Texas wine on their menus. The program also will provide GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty dining cards for consumers to share with restaurants as a thank-you for offering Texas wines or as a way to request Texas wines be added to their wine list.

“If you want more than good, you want great; if you want great, you need to GO TEXAN,” Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said. “With the GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty program, we hope to continue raising awareness about the quality wines made right here in the Lone Star State.”

GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty cards are available at wineries throughout the state and can be downloaded and printed from www.gotexanwine.org. The website also contains resources for restaurants interested in adding Texas wines to their lists.

“At Jack Allen’s, we understand and are committed to supporting local and regional vendors, and Texas wineries are no exception,” said Jack Gilmore, owner of Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Austin. “Not only does having Texas wine choices on our menu support the economy of Texas, Texas wineries make terrific juice that pairs really well with the flavors we’re producing at Jack Allen’s. Serving Texas wines is a no-brainer!”

Texas Wine Uncorking More Jobs and Economic Impact
With more Texans and restaurants going local, the Texas wine industry is adding more dollars and jobs to the state’s economy, according to a new study by MKF Research. The report shows the industry’s statewide economic impact jumped to $1.7 billion in 2009, up from $1.35 billion two years earlier.

The study also shows the industry accounts for 10,756 full-time jobs for Texans, an increase of nearly 20 percent since 2007, with an annual payroll of $379 million and annual tax revenue of $174.5 million.

“These numbers are great news for the Texas wine and grape-growing industry, and tell an important story for Texas,” Commissioner Staples said. “Texas wine continues to create new jobs, increase production, attract tourists and positively impact the state’s economy. That’s the result of thousands of Texans’ hard work.”

The study, jointly funded by the Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association and Texas Tech University Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute, also says tourism dollars related to the state’s wine industry have increased by 28 percent since 2007, reaching $379.5 million in 2009. The number of wine-related tourists increased by 42 percent, from 958,000 in 2007 to 1.3 million in 2009, the report says.

Texas is the fifth largest wine-producing state in the nation, behind California, New York, Washington and Oregon. The number of wineries in the state has grown from 46 in 2001 to more than 220 wineries today. Roughly 1.2 million cases of Texas wine are produced annually, up from nearly 600,000 cases in 2001.

More Information
For more information about the GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty campaign, or the Texas wine industry, go to www.gotexanwine.org. You can also follow GO TEXAN for Texas wine news and events on Facebook and Twitter.

More TDA press releases are also available at www.TexasAgriculture.gov/Newsroom or via RSS feed.